Happy Hour

Starbucks is offering half-off any flavor and size of its blended beverages starting Friday and running through May 13, between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. The blends, mixes of syrup, coffee, milk and ice, include flavors such as Mocha Cookie Crumble, Chocolate Cookie Crumble Crème and Mocha Coconut. And if you're tweeting, tag your Twitter photos with #FrappuccinoHappyHour to win prizes. The top 10 best beverage-inspired photos will go into a daily photo album at facebook.com/Frappuccino.

In Mount Vernon , a neighborhood stacked with trendy bars, hot nightspots and intriguing ethnic restaurants, Tavern on the Hill stands out - because it's not any of those things. Instead, the bar and eatery, which opened in July, is purposefully unpretentious. Menu items like hot dogs and sandwiches are served by friendly, casually dressed waiters. But that doesn't mean the staff - or the food - is sloppy. The service, especially, is top-notch. Scene & Decor Stepping into Tavern on the Hill, glass cases housing desserts greeted us, giving the space the vibe of a carry-out joint.

Clementine is hosting a 'wild' happy hour event on Friday evening, and the theme is foraging. The happy hour is partly a book signing with Bill Heavey, author of "It's Only Slow Food Until You Try to Eat to Eat It - Misadventures of a Suburban Hunter-Gatherer. " He will be joined by Lytton John Musselman and Harold J. Wiggins, co-authors of "The Quick Guide to Wild Edible Plants. " All three authors will be discussing foraging on Friday's 1 o'clock hour of Midday with Dan Rodricks . The cocktails and appetizers at the happy hour will feature foraged items.

Every college town needs at least one decent, inexpensive, fun Mexican food spot. In Towson, El Rodeo might be that place - but it seems to wish it was more. The Allegheny Avenue restaurant, which opened in early 2012, hits the right notes when it keeps things simple, fresh and low-key. It's less successful with attempts to elevate cuisine into gourmet territory. And while the staff's laid-back attitude is okay for a casual spot, the service needs fine-tuning. Drinks The margarita and sangria (both $3 during happy hour, which runs from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily)

Oyster happy hours have been popping up lately. Corner BYOB in Hampden had a Saturday afternoon oyster party a few weeks ago. They called it a Shuck-n-Chat. Love that. In January, Ten Ten in Harbor East started up Local Oyster Nights on Tuesday featuring $1 oysters and drink pairings. 7 West in Towson is starting up oyster happy hours on Thursday and Friday, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., with $1 oysters on the half shell. B&O Brasserie is teaming up with Finlandia Vodka and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation for an oyster happy hour on March 15, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The event will feature $1 oysters and $5 Finlandia shooters.

You and your dog are cordially invited to a happy hour Friday, Feb. 22, in downtown Baltimore to party with and help the Maryland SPCA, and the pets are guaranteed to have as much fun as the people. The March for the Animals Kick-Off Party for people and their dogs will be held Friday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Downtown Dog Resort & Spa, complete with beer, wine, soft drinks, snacks, pizza, an off-leash play area, and an indoor pool party just for the canines -- all for $10 in advance or $15 at the door with a suggested donation of $3 for drinks.

Mt. Washington Tavern, which suffered a significant fire in fall 2011 that required more than 60 Baltimore City firefighters to extinguish, has scheduled a special happy hour today from 4 to 8 p.m. to honor the fire department. The happy hour will take place in the renovated restaurant's SkyBar, and will feature light fare such as wings and shrimp. Responders Ale, from the 16 Mile Brewing Company in Georgetown, Del., will be sold for $3. A dollar from each Responders Ale will be donated to the fire department, according to Mt. Washington Tavern publicist Mikey Monaghan.

Happy hour is still jolly, but the source of the joy is no longer confined to the overflowing, underpriced cocktail. These days the eats, not just the drinks, figure prominently in the merrymaking.I found this out when I made a short return visit to the happy-hour circuit. Years ago I was a regular attendee of any gathering that marked the end of the work day.But then the kids came along, and rather than leaving work to check out the social scene, I found myself going home to check out the latest scream.

What's a mid-summer downpour when you've got people to meet, networking to do? Even a weather-related downtown traffic jam couldn't keep some 45 folks away from Harborview's South Harbor Tavern. They came for "Networking Happy Hour: The Sequel" -- a production of Women in Film and Video of Maryland, a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization dedicated to promoting women in the film, video and related industries. Those who braved the soggy streets were rewarded with good food, good company and good chances of meeting people in Maryland's film and video industry.

Clementine is hosting a 'wild' happy hour event on Friday evening, and the theme is foraging. The happy hour is partly a book signing with Bill Heavey, author of "It's Only Slow Food Until You Try to Eat to Eat It - Misadventures of a Suburban Hunter-Gatherer. " He will be joined by Lytton John Musselman and Harold J. Wiggins, co-authors of "The Quick Guide to Wild Edible Plants. " All three authors will be discussing foraging on Friday's 1 o'clock hour of Midday with Dan Rodricks . The cocktails and appetizers at the happy hour will feature foraged items.

The happiest of happy hours include our pets, and the one scheduled on Friday at the Maryland SPCA promises to be great fun for all. To benefit the homeless pets in their adoption center and to help save more pets' lives, the Maryland SPCA will host its first Wine and Wag Happy Hour of the summer season from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.on Friday, June 14, at 3300 Falls Road in Hampden. In addition to beer, wine, complimentary hors d'oeuvres, pizza...

As part of Baltimore Green Week, the Nature Conservancy and the Oyster Recover Partnership are hosting an Earth Day "mix and mingle" event tonight at McCormick & Schmick's Staff from both organizations will introduce the new One for the Bay campaign, a new awareness and fundraising campaign that will support the organizations' ongoing efforts to help restore the Chesapeake Bay's oyster population. The One for the Bay reception is 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. tonight at McCormick & Schmick's , 711 Eastern Ave. For information about the reception go to the Nature Conservancy website . And find more Baltimore Green Week events here . And B&O Brasserie is hosting an Earth Day oyster happy hour tonight from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Oysters will be available for $1 for guests, and all collected oyster shells will be donated to the Oyster Recovery Program.

Mt. Washington Tavern, which suffered a significant fire in fall 2011 that required more than 60 Baltimore City firefighters to extinguish, has scheduled a special happy hour today from 4 to 8 p.m. to honor the fire department. The happy hour will take place in the renovated restaurant's SkyBar, and will feature light fare such as wings and shrimp. Responders Ale, from the 16 Mile Brewing Company in Georgetown, Del., will be sold for $3. A dollar from each Responders Ale will be donated to the fire department, according to Mt. Washington Tavern publicist Mikey Monaghan.

Oyster happy hours have been popping up lately. Corner BYOB in Hampden had a Saturday afternoon oyster party a few weeks ago. They called it a Shuck-n-Chat. Love that. In January, Ten Ten in Harbor East started up Local Oyster Nights on Tuesday featuring $1 oysters and drink pairings. 7 West in Towson is starting up oyster happy hours on Thursday and Friday, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., with $1 oysters on the half shell. B&O Brasserie is teaming up with Finlandia Vodka and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation for an oyster happy hour on March 15, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The event will feature $1 oysters and $5 Finlandia shooters.

You and your dog are cordially invited to a happy hour Friday, Feb. 22, in downtown Baltimore to party with and help the Maryland SPCA, and the pets are guaranteed to have as much fun as the people. The March for the Animals Kick-Off Party for people and their dogs will be held Friday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Downtown Dog Resort & Spa, complete with beer, wine, soft drinks, snacks, pizza, an off-leash play area, and an indoor pool party just for the canines -- all for $10 in advance or $15 at the door with a suggested donation of $3 for drinks.

Pour me somethin' tall and strong Make it a hurricane before I go insane It's only half-past 12 but I don't care It's 5 o'clock somewhere.- "It's Five O'Clock Some- where," words by Jim "Moose" Brown, Don Rollins In these devil-may-care lyrics of their No. 1 country-music hit, Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett suggest that even if it's just past noon where they are, it must be happy hour somewhere in the world. Maybe it's cock-eyed optimism, but can that claim really be true? Or have the emperor of Margaritaville and his sidekick been sucking too many tequila-soaked limes?

In spite of a few jokes about walkers and such that you had to expect, there was a good discussion on a post on my blog Dining@Large (baltimoresun.com/diningatlarge) about what 35-and-overs want in a happy hour. One of the main things, after meeting other 35-and-overs, was the chance to talk without being drowned out by loud music or TVs. The following is my list of places, in alphabetical order, with a little bit of information to let you know what's available there. (Specials are offered weeknights only, unless otherwise noted.

It's only 2 years old, but Tatu just got its first face-lift. The pan-Asian restaurant in Power Plant Live, which opened in September 2010, reopened in October after a renovation and menu revamp. The new space is dimly lit, with a mix of high and low tables taking the place of traditional dining tables and chairs. Loud music and glamorous decor send the not-so-subtle message that Tatu aspires to be a nightclub - you won't see a giant sculpture of a topless mermaid or mirrored tables at your neighborhood sushi joint.